The professional British premiere of Emily Mann's docudrama opens at Southwark Playhouse's Main House for a four week run on13 January 2012 with previews from 11 January 2012You gotta give ‘em hope!Harvey Milk

27th November, 1978 - Dan White is shot and killed Harvey Milk, the first openly gay American to hold elected office and George Moscone, Mayor of San Francisco.

A cast of 20 perform Emily Mann's award-winning 1982 verbatim play - a panoramic view of a time of upheaval and change, told in words taken from trial transcripts, interviews, reportage and the street.

Moving in and out of the courtroom and backwards and forwards in time, Execution of Justice captures a divided city in crisis and the impact of loss.

The play was commissioned by San Francisco's Eureka Theatre in 1982, premiered at the Actors' Theatre of Louisville in 1984 and presented on Broadway in 1986. Emily Mann's adaptation of The House of Bernarda Alba opens at The Almeida Theatre in January 2012.

Writer Emily Mann is Artistic Director of the McCarter Theatre in Princeton, United States. In 1994 under Emily's lead the McCarter Theatre was awarded the Tony for Outstanding Regional Theatre. Most recently, she directed the world premieres of Phaedra Backwards, The How And The Why, and Me, Myself & I. Emily has written a number of successful plays, including Execution of Justice (supported by a Guggenheim Fellowship, winner of Helen Hayes and Joseph Jefferson awards, nominated for Drama Desk and Outer Circle awards), Still Life (recipient of 6 Obie Awards), Having Our Say (Peabody, NAACP and Joseph Jefferson awards, Tony, Drama Desk, and Outer Critics Circle nominations) and her latest play Mrs Packard, which was the recipient of the 2007 Kennedy Center Fund for New American Plays Award. Emily's translations include versions of Uncle Vanya, The Cherry Orchard and The Seagull which she also directed. This season Emily is scheduled to direct the world premiere of The Convert by Danai Gurira (McCarter Theatre) and A Streetcar Named Desire (Broadway). Her adaptation of The House of Bernarda Alba opens at The Almeida Theatre in January 2012. She is the recipient of an Honorary Doctorate of Arts from Princeton University.

Designer James Turner's trained on the Motley Theatre Design Course and at the University of Manchester. Design Credits include Thrill Me (Charring Cross Theatre), Plain Jane (Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester), That Moment (Edinburgh Festival), Over the Moon (New Wimbledon Studio), Hair (Playbox Theatre), Matryoshka (Landor Theatre), No Wonder (Library Theatre, Manchester) and A Man of No Importance (Arts Theatre). Credits as a Design Assistant include Comedy of Errors (National Theatre), Haunted Child, Get Santa (Royal Court), Il Trittico (Royal Opera House), Evita (Broadway), Reasons to be Pretty (Almeida Theatre), If There Is I Haven't Found It Yet (Bush Theatre) and the forthcoming The House of Bernarda Alba (Almeida Theatre). James is currently assisting Lucy Osborne on designs for The Recruiting Officer (Donmar Warehouse).

Nearest Tube: London BridgePerformances11 January - 4 February 2012Monday to Saturday at 7.45pmSaturday matinee at 3.15pm (28 Jan only)Box OfficeOnlinewww.southwarkplayhouse.co.uk24 HOURS/NO BOOKING FEESBy Telephone020 7407 0234NO BOOKING FEESTicket Prices£10, £14, £18‘Airline style' pricing. The earlier you book the cheaper the tickets!ConcessionsDisabled people can bring one companion free of charge.There are no other concessions